April 3, 2010

A Wonderful Surprise . . .

The most touching thing arrived in the mail yesterday.

It was a large, flat package with the return address from our niece, Nicole.



At 22, Nicole is about to graduate from art school in Philadelphia. She's the most lovely human being -- thoughtful, fun, adventurous, kind and creative. She's got a zest for life and is always willing to try new things, like kayaking to an island last time she visited us.

I've loved her since before she was born. To my husband and me, she is like the daughter we never had. And she continues to make us so proud.

Even though she's busy getting her senior portfolio prepared and figuring out where she's going to work and live, she took the time to create something very special for us.



This is a tribute to our dog Lady, who passed away in January. Even though we've welcomed two new dogs into our home, we still miss Lady very much.

Nicole's portrait means the world to us. We're going to frame it and hang it on our living room wall, near the spot where Lady used to sleep.

Nicole created it from this photograph of Lady:



This isn't the first time Nicole has done something wonderful like this.

After my dear father-in-law passed away, she created a portrait of him for us and his three sons.


It hangs in our guest room that we still refer to as "Pop's Room." And it was created from this photograph:


There really are no words to thank Nicole for such a thoughtful, unexpected gesture of love. But I have a feeling she knows how we feel.

2 comments:

Jill N. said...

I cried when I read this. What a lovely tribute. You're lucky to have such a wonderful neice and she's lucky to have such a great Aunt and Uncle.

Mary Hershey said...

Oh, this is so lovely. I don't have a niece. Is she available for rent?

What a sweet, sweet dog she was!

Holyday hugs,
Mary